Having read a lot of different threads in this forum there were more stories about dogs getting seriously injured than I expected. Some were gruesome.

My company produces composite materials used in wearable armor and ballistic panels among others.

It would not be very difficult for us to design and produce a comfortable lightweight vest that could stop a stick puncture when leaping into the water or a varmint biting a dog in the neck when going in for a flush.Looking for opinions of how popular this maybe.

I doubt that I would use anything like that for upland hunting although my dogs usually wear a belly saver with orange sides often and especially with some of the people that I hunt with! For waterfowl it is usually a neoprene type floatation vest especially in very cold weather. I think that the pig hunters have something similar to what you are suggesting for chest and neck protection but I do not know how heavy that might be. You might look at some examples of what is already available, it is fairly easy to find with a google search. But lighter or better protection would probably have a market. Good luck with your project.

I'm not thinking very popular at all. As Miss K says, it would have to be very breathable. It couldn't drag a dog down in the water. It couldn't hook on brush. It would have to be semi-quiet. Should be orange. Light weight. Affordable. Adjustable. Lots of hurdles there.

Might be okay on a slick coated dog that can take a bit of heat but not for a Griffon at all. I think it's a great idea just unsure about the market?

I put an orange skid plate on mine during deer season but that's the only time. I put a light duty vest on her one time and she left it shredded and hanging on the first barb wire fence she ran through.

Thank you all for your comments they all seem valid to me.It would be a breathable fabric except at the belly area where they are most likely to be punctured.

I had a retriever I was training and I knew the trial grounds featured a series of narrow canals probably 10-20 yards apart.it was a land water land water land scenario but had steepish banks in and out .I was training my dog on a similar set of these ditches / canals.

This dog was hard driving going into water he flew halfway across before landing in the water. I heard a horrific yelp and saw blood. I ran in and grabbed him.a stick sticking straight up under the water punctured into him. He was bleeding very badly. Fortunately my truck was parked near. I grabbed bubble wrap and duct tape wrapped him up and drove likecrazy to the nearest emergency vet as it was on a Sunday. The dog very nearly died. He recovered but was never the same in water,

That experience along with some I read here and other places is why I brought this Idea up.

My First GWP years ago got it perfect, of his own doing. The first time he was sent on a water retrieve in a new spot he went in fast but no big leap when he entered. The dog was smart enough to realize he had no idea what was below the surface. Then having gone in there once he would leap in at that spot from then on.

The big air leaps into the water are nothing but a way to get injured. Some do it naturally and if so I would live with it vs trying to discourage it somehow, but it is nothing I would ever encourage a dog to do otherwise. And even a running entry can result in an injury. Risk is part of the job duties within reason.

I use a neoprene vest on my dogs when hunting waterfowl in cold windy conditions. Never had a need for a vest when upland hunting and the risk of overheating the dog outweighs the potential benefits for my dogs. My GWPs have all had excellent full coverage coats on their undercarriage and that provides good protection against abrasion.